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Inspirations
In creating Delirium's Threshold, we've drawn inspiration from a variety of games, movies, and literature. Here is a partial list. This isn't the canon of DT, just some common ground. *''Alice in Wonderland''; Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There (novels), by Lewis Carroll - a fantasy classic. American McGee's Alice (video game) is a compelling exploration of what Alice's adventures might actually mean: Wonderland as Delirium, Wonderland as madness, or both? *''American Gods'' (novel), by Neil Gaiman - a modern exploration of the connection between divinity and passions. *''Around the World in Eighty Days'' (novel), by Jules Verne - early air travel, and a parallel society. *''Bioshock'' (video game), and The Fountainhead (novel) and Atlas Shrugged (novel) by Ayn Rand - the culture and attitude of the Passionate of the Conclave is inspired by Objectivism. *''Dracula'' (novel), by Bram Stoker - a Gothic/Romantic classic. Worth reading to understand the pre-Freudian society in which Dracula was imagined, and how it's not really about blood. *''Labyrinth'' (movie) - an uneven modern fantasy. In the language of the Delirium, the Goblin King (David Bowie) is a Dream Monarch and the Labyrinth is His shard. *''The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen'' (graphic novel), by Alan Moore - very imaginative steampunk, in a cross-literary setting. The movie is visually appealing but far less compelling. *''Mists of Avalon'' (novel), by Marion Zimmer Bradley - like American Gods, a compelling exploration of the connection between divinity and passions. The Mists are some relative of Vapor, and the occasional erotica is delightful. *''Pan's Labyrinth'' (movie) - a brilliant modern fantasy. In the language of the Delirium, Ofelia's adventures involve crossing the folds. *''Psychonauts'' (video game) - a brilliant, funny psychic story, and an inspiration for the Delirium (the game levels are individuals' minds). *''Sandman'' (graphic novels), by Neil Gaiman - modern fantasy, and an inspiration for the Delirium and the Dream Monarchs. The Books of Magic (graphic novels) are good, but not as good. *''Spirited Away'' (movie) - modern fantasy, and an inspiration for the Delirium. Worth watching for No Face: a passion glutton. Many other movies by Hayao Miyazaki are worth watching. *''Stargate SG-1'' (television series) - a distant inspiration, for its god-like, slaver Goa'uld and retro-future technology. *''Strange Days'' (movie) - brilliant, compelling exploration of "passion crystals." Caution: very strong, mature content. *''Tarnsman of Gor, Outlaw of Gor, Priest-Kings of Gor, etc.'' (novels), by John Norman - DT is not a Gor knock-off, but it does share several themes, including strong men and passionate slaves. Before creating Delirium's Threshold, Kandr played and studied Gor extensively. *The Neverending Story (movie) - an inspiration for the Delirium and shaping. *''The Time Machine'' (movie, 2002) - especially for the historic setting, and the gorgeous steampunk time machine. *''Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea'' (novel), by Jules Verne) - a steampunk classic. *''The Wizard of Oz'' (novel), by Frank Baum - like Alice, a fantasy classic. Return to Oz (movie, 1985) is an uneven but visually captivating iteration. Like Alice's Wonderland, Dorothy's Oz may be Delirium, madness, or both. Worth watching for the sanitarium and its nurse/witch, and the inimitable Tik-Tok (wind-up brains!).